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Configure the budget management workflow

Introduction

You can manage the budgets for users and user groups. You have to create one or more cost centers for each web shop. You have to assign a budget to each cost center. Then, you can assign one or more users and user groups to each cost center. For the assigned users the prices of their orders are deducted from the budget. You can set a maximum price for an order for each user or user group. An approver has to accept or reject the order when the price exceeds the maximum price. Accept or reject only applies to the price of an entire order. An approver cannot accept or reject the prices of the separate jobs in an order.

NOTE

When the payment workflow is enabled, then the budget management workflow is disabled.

This topic describes the complete configuration of the budget management workflow.

You have to configure the cost centers in the [Configuration] workspace:

  1. Create one or more cost centers per web shop

  2. Assign cost centers to users and user groups per web shop

You have to configure the price approval settings in the [Configuration] workspace:

  1. Configure the default maximum price of an order per web shop

  2. Configure the maximum price of an order for the users and user groups per web shop

    You can configure the maximum price of an order for the users and user groups per web shop. These custom settings overwrite the default maximum price of an order per web shop.

Alternatively, you can setup an interface between the PRISMAdirect server and the uniFLOW server. The uniFLOW server then manages the cost centers and the price approval workflow.

Budget: available, reserved, and spent

You can change the available budget and you can reset the spent budget. The reserved budget is a step in the approval workflow and can therefore not be reset or changed.

  • Available budget:

    The total budget available for the users of the web site.

  • Spent budget:

    The amount spent so far by all users of the concerning cost center. You can reset the spent budget per cost centre manually.

  • Reserved budget:

    A user has submitted an order costing $10,-. The approver must accept or reject the price of the order. While waiting for accept or rejection, the $10,- is added to the reserved budget.

    • When the order is accepted, the $10,- moves to the spent budget.

    • When the order is rejected, the $10,- moves to the available budget.

Create one or more cost centers per web shop

  1. Click [Web shop] - <web shop> - [Pricing] - [Cost centers].

  2. Click [New cost center] to create the top level cost center.

    Click the plus icon to add a cost center.

  3. Type a name and description for the cost center.

    You can use the characters: 'a - z', 'A - Z', '0 - 9', '_' . Spaces are allowed for the name.

  4. Define the email address of the approver for this cost center. Use a semicolon to separate multiple email addresses.

    The approver receives an email when the spent budget exceeds the specified threshold.

  5. Define the available budget for the cost center.

  6. [Send warning at threshold [%]:]

    Define a percentage of the available budget. The approver receives an email when the spent budget exceeds the specified threshold. The approver can increase or decrease the available budget, or reset the spent budget.

    You can edit the email message, see [Order processing] - [Workflow configuration] - [Email templates].

  7. [Use cost center one level down:]

    For example, you can create a top level cost center which contains the total budget. Then you create a cost center per department. The cost center for each department uses part of the total budget. When you enable this option for the top level cost center, then users can only select one of the departmental cost centers.

  8. Select the default cost center.

    When multiple cost centers are assigned to a web shop, you can select the default cost center for that web shop. Customers can select any of the cost centers of the web shop.

  9. Click [Save].

Assign cost centers to users and user groups per web shop

  1. To assign users, click [User management] - [Users] - [Cost centers] - <web shop>.

    To assign user groups, click [User management] - [User groups] - [Cost centers] - <web shop>.

  2. Select a user.

    The available cost centres for the user appear.

  3. Click the checkbox to assign a cost center to the user.

    You can assign multiple cost centres to the user. The cost centers are added to the [Assigned cost centers].

    • Click the view icon to view the configuration of the cost center. The icon appears when you hover the mouse pointer over a cost center.

  4. Deselect the cost centers that you want to remove for the user in section [Available cost centers].

    Or you can click the delete icon in section [Assigned cost centers]. The icon appears when you hover the mouse pointer over a cost center.

  5. Click [Save].

Configure the default maximum price of an order per web shop

  1. Click [Web shop] - <web shop> - [Pricing] - [Price approval workflow].

  2. Click [New level].

  3. Define the maximum price of an order for the current level. You can type a value in the spinbox.

  4. Define the email address of the approver for the current level. Use a semicolon to separate multiple email addresses.

    The approver receives an email when the order price exceeds the maximum price for the current level. The approver of the current level must approve or reject the order. If the price exceeds the maximum price of the next level, an approver of that level must also approve or reject the order.

    NOTE

    The approver for level 1 can forward the approval form to the approver for level 2.

  5. Click button [New level] to define a maximum price for the new level. The maximum price of the new level must be higher than the maximum price of the previous level.

  6. [Allow an approver to accept on behalf of higher level approvers]

    When you enable this option, each approver can always accept or reject an order, regardless of the price.

  7. Click [Save].

Configure the maximum price of an order for the users and user groups per web shop

You can configure the maximum price of an order for the users and user groups per web shop. These custom settings overwrite the default maximum price of an order per web shop.

  1. To customize the maximum price of an order for:

    • Users: click [User management] - [Users] - [Price approval workflow] - <web shop>.

    • User groups: click [User management] - [User groups] - [Price approval workflow] - <web shop>.

  2. Select a user or user group.

  3. Click [New level].

  4. Define the maximum price of an order for the current level. You can type a value in the spinbox.

  5. Define the email address of the approver for the current level. Use a semicolon to separate multiple email addresses.

    The approver receives an email when the order price exceeds the maximum price for the current level. The approver of the current level must approve or reject the order. If the price exceeds the maximum price of the next level, an approver of that level must also approve or reject the order.

    NOTE

    The approver for level 1 can forward the approval form to the approver for level 2.

  6. Click button [New level] to define a maximum price for the new level. The maximum price of the new level must be higher than the maximum price of the previous level.

  7. [Allow an approver to accept on behalf of higher level approvers]

    When you enable this option, each approver can always accept or reject an order, regardless of the price.

  8. Click [Save].